The Scarlet Lettertells the story of Hester Prynne, a woman in her early twenties who lives in the Puritan town of Boston in the mid-1600s. Hester has been found guilty of adultery and so is sentenced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on the front of her dress for the rest of her life. The story’s other major characters are her daughter, her daughter’s father, and her husband, who arrives in Boston after living among Indians for two years. Using these circumstances as the groundwork for his plot, Hawthorne concentrates on his characters to create a psychologically powerful tale of the consequences of breaking a moral code. Skillfully, Hawthorne reveals how guilt and sin affect his characters’ minds. Many literary scholars have called Hester Prynne the first true heroine of American literature. Hawthorne gives her a full characterization—woman, mother, sinner, and member of the community—and never treats her as a stereotype, as so many writers at that time did to their female characters. Preferring to concentrate on the darker, often unconscious areas of the human psyche, Hawthorne turns his scrutinizing eye on the thought processes and emotions that occur as a result of traumatic experiences. Even Hawthorne himself, who rarely praised his own work, admitted that “some portions of the book are powerfully written.”
When it was published, The Scarlet Letter was received with puzzlement, some critics calling it immoral while others praising its depth of insight. Gradually, the novel gained prominence as a classic of American literature. By the early 1900s, readers and reviewers generally agreed that Hawthorne had reached the pinnacle of his writing abilities in this novel. Many now consider Hawthorne to be the first American novelist to break from the habit of imitating European trends and to represent truly an American perspective and style.
Novel Setting
The novel takes place sometime between 1620–1700. The Pilgrims arrived on the shoresof what would become Massachusetts in 1620 and established the rule of English law there that same year with the signing of the Mayflower Compact. In 1628, the Puritans arrivedin Massachusetts from England and settled the land the natives called Naumkeag, andwhich the Puritans would later call Salem (Hebrew for “peace” and a shortened form of “Jerusalem”).
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Religion and Politics in Puritan Massachusetts
** In 1692, the famous Salem Witch trials occurred. The story was later fictionalized in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. The hysteria over witches began in February 1692. In the summer of 1692, nineteen men and women were convicted of witchcraft, carted to Gallows Hill near Salem Village, and hanged. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s great-grandfather was theinfamous Judge John Hathorne who had presided over many of these witch trials. The novel contains several references to witches. However, there is only one specific mention of the famous witchcraft trials in “The Custom House” and one somewhat later in the novel. Though the trials are not specifically part of the novel’s action, they are part of its background and atmosphere. Hester Prynne’s persecution and outcast by the citizens of Boston mirrors what would occur many years later to women in similar circumstances. Hawthorne shows a community of suspicion and self-righteousness that would create the conditions of the later witchcraft hysteria, which, though specifically located in nearby Salem, affected all of Puritan Massachusetts. Hawthorne most likely expected his readers to have the events of 1692 in mind when they read of Hester Prynne’s suffering. One piece of Massachusetts history that very much bothered Hawthorne all of his adult life was the persecution of Quakers in Puritan times. The Quakers were a Protestant groupestablished in England in the late 1500s. Their beliefs were considered heretical by the church-dominated government of Massachusetts. Hawthorne’s specific connection involves the whipping of Ann Coleman and two other Quaker women by one of his ancestors, William Hathorne, in 1662, mentioned in “The Custom House.” The event is memorialized in John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem “How They Drove the Quaker Women from Dover.
The Background
The Scarlet Letter tells the story of Hester Prynne, a woman in her early twenties who lives in the Puritan town of Boston in the mid-1600s. Hester has been found guilty of adultery and so is sentenced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on the front of her dress for the rest of her life. The story’s other major characters are her daughter, her daughter’s father, and her husband, who arrives in Boston after living among Indians for two years. Using these circumstances as the groundwork for his plot, Hawthorne concentrates on his characters to create a psychologically powerful tale of the consequences of breaking a moral code. Skillfully, Hawthorne reveals how guilt and sin affect his characters’ minds. Many literary scholars have called Hester Prynne the first true heroine of American literature. Hawthorne gives her a full characterization—woman, mother, sinner, and member of the community—and never treats her as a stereotype, as so many writers at that time did to their female characters. Preferring to concentrate on the darker, often unconscious areas of the human psyche, Hawthorne turns his scrutinizing eye on the thought processes and emotions that occur as a result of traumatic experiences. Even Hawthorne himself, who rarely praised his own work, admitted that “some portions of the book are powerfully written.”
When it was published, The Scarlet Letter was received with puzzlement, some critics calling it immoral while others praising its depth of insight. Gradually, the novel gained prominence as a classic of American literature. By the early 1900s, readers and reviewers generally agreed that Hawthorne had reached the pinnacle of his writing abilities in this novel. Many now consider Hawthorne to be the first American novelist to break from the habit of imitating European trends and to represent truly an American perspective and style.
Novel Setting
The novel takes place sometime between 1620–1700. The Pilgrims arrived on the shoresof what would become Massachusetts in 1620 and established the rule of English law there that same year with the signing of the Mayflower Compact. In 1628, the Puritans arrivedin Massachusetts from England and settled the land the natives called Naumkeag, andwhich the Puritans would later call Salem (Hebrew for “peace” and a shortened form of “Jerusalem”).
**
Religion and Politics in Puritan Massachusetts
**In 1692, the famous Salem Witch trials occurred. The story was later fictionalized in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. The hysteria over witches began in February 1692. In the summer of 1692, nineteen men and women were convicted of witchcraft, carted to Gallows Hill near Salem Village, and hanged. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s great-grandfather was theinfamous Judge John Hathorne who had presided over many of these witch trials. The novel contains several references to witches. However, there is only one specific mention of the famous witchcraft trials in “The Custom House” and one somewhat later in the novel. Though the trials are not specifically part of the novel’s action, they are part of its background and atmosphere. Hester Prynne’s persecution and outcast by the citizens of Boston mirrors what would occur many years later to women in similar circumstances. Hawthorne shows a community of suspicion and self-righteousness that would create the conditions of the later witchcraft hysteria, which, though specifically located in nearby Salem, affected all of Puritan Massachusetts. Hawthorne most likely expected his readers to have the events of 1692 in mind when they read of Hester Prynne’s suffering. One piece of Massachusetts history that very much bothered Hawthorne all of his adult life was the persecution of Quakers in Puritan times. The Quakers were a Protestant groupestablished in England in the late 1500s. Their beliefs were considered heretical by the church-dominated government of Massachusetts. Hawthorne’s specific connection involves the whipping of Ann Coleman and two other Quaker women by one of his ancestors, William Hathorne, in 1662, mentioned in “The Custom House.” The event is memorialized in John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem “How They Drove the Quaker Women from Dover.